Allegations have been raised against a Jamaat-e-Islami leader and Nikah Registrar (Kazi) in Lalmonirhat for allegedly registering the marriage of a 19-year-old man in violation of the legal age requirement, with a dispute also arising over the amount of dower money stated in the marriage document.
The accused, Aminur Rahman, is the Nikah Registrar of Khuniagachh Union under Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila and also works as an assistant teacher at Harinchowra Talpatti High School in the same union. He is a former ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami's Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila unit.
The allegation has surfaced amid the "Alokito Lalmonirhat" social movement, launched under the leadership of Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu to combat child marriage and other social offences in the district.
According to a written complaint filed with the District Registrar, the marriage involved 19-year-old college student Abdullah Al Arafat, son of Jahangir Alam of Namuri Modonpur village in Aditmari upazila, and 18-year-old Ishrad Jahan Ira, daughter of police officer Ershadul Alam of Taluk Harati village in Lalmonirhat Sadar.
The complaint, filed on July 6 by Arafat's mother, Amina Begum, alleges that Ira and Arafat became acquainted through Facebook. On April 4, 2025, Arafat was allegedly called by one of Ira's friends while he was returning home from Lalmonirhat and taken to Kalmati village under Khuniagachh Union.
Arafat alleged that he was pressured to marry Ira against his will and that the marriage was registered in the absence of his guardians. He further alleged that he was forced to sign a Tk 300 non-judicial stamp and the marriage register.
Under Bangladeshi law, the minimum legal age for marriage is 18 for women and 21 for men. The complaint alleges that Arafat was only 19 when the marriage was registered.
Arafat also alleged that he repeatedly visited the Kazi's office to obtain a certified copy of the marriage registration but initially failed to receive it. He later obtained the document and claimed that while Tk 15 lakh was announced as the dower during the marriage ceremony, the marriage document recorded the dower as Tk 60 lakh.
He also alleged discrepancies between copies of the marriage document held by the bride's and groom's sides.
"I only became acquainted with her through Facebook because we are from the same district. Through her, I also became acquainted with one of her friends. Her friend invited me to their home. Later, I found Ira there and was pressured to marry her," Arafat said.
He alleged that he was assaulted when he refused to marry and was eventually forced to sign the stamp and marriage register in the presence of Kazi Aminur Rahman. According to Arafat, the Kazi's brother conducted the marriage ceremony, while Tk 15 lakh was mentioned as the dower at the time.
"Later, when I obtained the copy, I found that Tk 60 lakh had been written as the dower," he said.
Arafat's mother, Amina Begum, alleged that her son was married without the family's knowledge and that the marriage registration documents were manipulated to show Tk 60 lakh as dower.
"I have filed the complaint seeking cancellation of the child marriage registration and punishment for the Kazi over the alleged irregularities," she said.
Meanwhile, Ira's mother, Shahina Begum, rejected the allegation concerning the dower amount, saying that her daughter had been subjected to abuse and that the marriage-related disputes should not be publicised further.
Following the marriage, Ira filed a case against Arafat on June 5, alleging assault and dowry-related offences. Arafat subsequently spent 38 days in detention in connection with the case, according to his family.
The complaint against Kazi Aminur Rahman is currently under investigation. Sadar Upazila Sub-Registrar (in charge) Rashedul Haque said several notices had been issued to the Nikah Registrar to produce the relevant volume register.
"We have issued several notices, but the Nikah Registrar has not yet produced the volume register. As a result, we have been unable to submit the investigation report. We will issue three consecutive notices and then submit the report," he said.
Aminur Rahman denied the allegations of forced marriage and irregularities. He said he had registered the marriage after checking the groom's identification document and age.
"The marriage was not forced. The groom himself fixed the dower at Tk 60 lakh," he said.
When asked why such a large amount of dower had been set in the absence of the groom's family and why there were alleged discrepancies in the copies of the marriage document, he declined to comment and ended the phone call.
The complainants have also raised concerns about Nikah Registrars holding other professional positions, alleging that this creates opportunities for others to conduct registration work on their behalf.
Kazi Abdus Salam, president of the Lalmonirhat District Kazi Association and an assistant professor at Shaheed Abul Kashem Mahavidyalaya, acknowledged that many Nikah Registrars across the country also work as teachers at schools, colleges and madrasas.
"This is not limited to Lalmonirhat. There are thousands of Kazis across the country who are also teachers. Government ministers and lawmakers are aware of this," he said.
Lalmonirhat District Registrar Sakhawat Hossain said the allegations against the Khuniagachh Union Nikah Registrar were being investigated.
"If the allegations are found to be true, legal action will be taken," he said, adding that the district administration has limited authority over Nikah Registrars and that the ministry concerned can take action against them. "We can only send the investigation report," he said.
District Commissioner Rashedul Haque Pradhan, who is president of the Alokito Lalmonirhat initiative, said action would be taken if the allegations were substantiated.
"The issue of holding multiple professions will also be examined," he said, adding that the district administration was taking strict measures to prevent child marriage.
Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, the chief patron of Alokito Lalmonirhat, recently said at an event that district commissioners had been instructed to cancel the licence of any Kazi if evidence of child marriage registration was found.
"There is no place for child marriage in Alokito Lalmonirhat," he said.
